Sealed multi-contact connector



July 5, 1966 J. c. KYLE 3,259,872

SEALED MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR Filed March '7, 1962 2 Sheets-Shea?. l

July 5, 1966 J. C. KYLE 3,259,872

SEALED MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR Filed March 7, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2United States Patent O 3,259,872 SEALED MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR `lamesC. Kyle, Glendora, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to PhysicalSciences Corporation, a corporation of California Filed Mar. 7, 1962,Ser. No. 178,158 15 Claims. (Cl. 339-94) This invention relates to amulti-contact connector of the general type wherein a multi-contact plugassembly is engageable with a complementary multi-contact receptacleassembly.

While the 4invention is widely applicable to various specific purposes,the invention has special utility for connecting a multi-conductor cablewith electrical components behind a bulkhead or a like wall structure,the receptacle assembly being mounted on the cable and the plug assemblybeing mounted in an opening in the bulkhead. Such an embodiment has beenselected for the present disclosure and will provide adequate guidancefor those skilled in the art who may have occasion to apply the sameprinciples to other specific purposes.

In general, a plug assembly or a receptacle .assembly of the type towhich the invention pertains comprises a plurality of contact elements,insulating means in the form of one or more bodies of insulatingmaterial to embrace and support the contact elements and a suitablehousing shell encasing the insulating means. Since the contact elementsvary in type and vary in number for dilferent installations, and sincesome insulations require sealed connectors, and since themulti-conductor cables are required to enter lhousing shells fromvarious directions in various installations, it is common practice tofabricate -a wide variety of housing shells yand a wide variety ofinsulating bodies to make up different connectors that vary in thesediterent respects.

An important object of the present invention is to simplify matters byproviding a single model of housing shell for a plug assembly incombination with a single model of insulating means, which combinationmay be aptly termed universal since it may be assembled with variousnumbers of diiferent types of contact elements for both sealed andv'unsealed installations and the receptacle assembly may receive amulti-conductor cable from any desired direction. A similar universalcombination is provided for a receptacle assembly. Such versatilecombinations reduce fabrication cost, minimize manufacturing delays,reduce the inventory burden and, in addition, make it possible tosalvage used connectors since a connector made for one specific purposemay be dismantled and reassembled to serve Ianother specic purpose.

The invention is characterized by a construction in which two plate-likeinsulating bodies or blocks .are clamped together face to face in asurrounding housing shell with pairs of laligned bores in the twobodies, respectively. Diierent specific .types of interchangeablecontact elements may be mounted in the pairs of aligned bores of the twoinsulating bodies and `any number of contact elements may be used up tothe total number of aligned pairs of bores.

A feature of the invention is the provision of sealing means embracingthe individual contact elements and sandwiched between the twoinsulating bodies under sealing compression. As exemplied by thepresently preferred practice of the invention, such sealing means maycomprise individual elastomer collars embracing the individual contactelements at intermediate points thereof. Since the elastomer collars arermly bonded to the contact elements and since the elastomer collars arefirmly trapped between the two insulating bodies, the contact elementsare positively retained at their assembled positions.

ice

A feature of the preferred practice of the invention is that the aligned.pairs of bores in the two insulating bodies are slightly oversizedrelative to the contact elements that are mounted therein, the contactelements being resiliently supported and centered in the bores, by theelastomer collars. In effect, the contact elements are oatinglysupported with a certain degree of individual freedom for lateralmovement. Resiliently mounting the contact elements in this mannerpermits pin contacts and cooperating socket contacts to adapt themselvesto each other in such manner as to permit liberal dimension tolerancesand to reduce breakageof contact elements. In this regard, a feature ofthe invention is that both the pin contacts and the cooperating socketcontacts may be oatingly mounted in their respective assemblies so thatthe resilient mounts in both of the assemblies may yield as required foralignment of the individual pin contacts with the corresponding socketcontacts.

In the preferred practice of the invention, Iat least one bore of eachpair ofthe aligned bores of the two insulating bodies is formed with anenlargement that opens onto the confronting faces of `the two insulatingbodies and the elastomer collars of the contact elements are shaped .anddimensioned to t into the bore enlargements under substantialcompression when the two insulating bodies are clamped together, Thusthe compressed elastomer collars etectively seal the aligned bores inwhich the contact elements are mounted. In the present embodiment of theinvention, both bores of each aligned pair of bores have suchenlargements.

If there are remaining aligned bores of the two insulating bodies thatare not needed to house contact elements in a particular connectorassembly, these empty bores may also be effectively sealed by installingelastomer bodies therein of the same profile dimensions -as theelastomer collars. As will be explained, additional continuous sealingmembers may be lused to seal the peripheral regions of the twoinsulation bodies as well as to seal the juncture of the plug receptaclewith the rim of the bulkhead opening and to seal the juncture betweenthe plug assembly and the mating Areceptacle assembly.

With reference to the direction of entry of a multiconductor cable intoa receptacle assembly, the housing shell of the assembly is providedwith knockout portions in all of its sides, any one of which may beeasily manually removed to provide an opening to'receive the cable fromthe corresponding direction. An important feature of the invention isthe provision not only for sealing the entry of the cable into thehousing shell, but `also for mechanically connecting the cable to thehousing shell to keep the cable from transmitting stresses to thecontact elements inside the housing shell.

As will be explained, two telescoped anged ferrules embrace the cable atthe housing shell opening with the anges of the two ferrules clampingthe rim of the opening, the outer ferrule being crimped to the innerferrule and the inner ferrule being crimped to the cable formechanically attaching the cable to the housing shell. Two provisionsseal the entry, one provision being a sealing ring under sealingpressure by the outer ferrule flange, the other provision being asealing sleeve embracing both the outer ferrule and an adjacent portionof the cable.

A further feature of the invention is a simple means to key or polarizethe two assemblies of a multi-contact connector to insure that only thetwo particular assemblies can be connected together. A plurality of pinsis divided between the two assemblies and a corresponding plurality ofsockets is divided between the two assemblies, the combined pins andsockets of each of the two assemblies being arranged on a given pattern.

In the preferred practice of the invention, two anges on opposite sidesof one assembly are paired with two corresponding anges on the oppositesides of the other assembly and each of these side flanges is initiallyfabricated with a row of four holes, thereiibeing sixteen holes formingeight pairs of aligned holes on the two assemblies. Eight pins are xedlymounted in eight of the sixteen holes, the selected eight holes beingdivided between the two assemblies. Thus each keying pin on eachconnector assembly registers with a corresponding hole ,or keying socketon the other connector assembly. Y

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from thefollowing detailed description and f the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showingthe plug assembly of amulti-contact connector mounted in an opening in abulkhead and showing the complementary receptacle assembly of theconnector attached to a multi-conductor cable with the two connectorassemblies plugged together;

FIG. 2 is a face view of the receptacle assembly as `seen along the line2-2 of FIG. 1 with a pair of fastening screws shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational View of the plug assembly as seen along theline 3-3 of FIG. 1 with certain fastening screws shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a fasteningscrew provided with a collar for creating separation force between twoabutting pairs of a connector assembly;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the structure of thetwo assemblies that provideA the keying or polarizing means;

FIG. 6 isa view partly in side elevation and partly in section showingthe construction of a socket Contact that may be used in an assembly; vFIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged end view of the same socket Contact elementas viewed along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a similar View of a plug contact that may be used in anassembly;

FIG. 9 is a similar view of a second plug contact of v smaller diameterthat may be used interchangeably with the plug contact of FIG. 8; FIGS.l0 and l1 are similar views of other plug contacts that may be usedinterchangeably; and

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of an elastomer sealing ibodythat may be used in kaligned bores where a contact element is omitted. Y

In the presently preferred embodiment of the inventionshown in FIG. l,the multi-contact electrical connector comprises a plug assembly,generally designated P and a receptacle assembly, generally designatedR. The plug assembly P is illustrated as mounted in a circular openingin a bulkhead or other wall structure 22 and the receptacle assembly Ris illustrated as mounted on a multi-conductor cable 24.

Eachrof the two assemblies P and R comprises a plurality of contactelements mounted in a housing shell by suitable insulation means, whichinsulation means is made in separable sections. Thus the plug assembly Phas a plurality of pin contacts 25 mounted in a housing shell 26 byinsulating means in the form of a rst plate-like insulation body 28 anda second similar insulation body 30, the two -bodies being assembledface toface. In like manner the receptacle assembly R comprises aplurality -of socket contacts 32 mounted in a housing shell 34 byinsulation means in the form of a first plate-like insulation body 35and a second similar insulation body 36.

The housing shell 26 of the plug assembly P has a continuous side wallthat is formed with Va forwardly facing shoulder 40, the'shoulder beingspaced substantially rearwardly from the opened front side of thehousing shell. In the construction shown, the forwardly facing shoulder40 is in the form of an inward flange of 4 the khousing shell.k Thefirst insulation body 28 rests against the shoulder 40 and the secondinsulation body 39 rests tiat against the rstinsulation body.

Suitable means is provided for engagement withthe margin of the secondinsulation body 30 and the housing shell 26 to retain the twoinsulationbodies firmly seated in the housing shell. For this purposethe housing shell 26 may be formed with a relatively thick peripheralange 42 and a relatively thick clamp member 44 in the form of an openrectangular frame may be connected to the flange by short screws 45 withthe clamp -member overlying the margin of the second insulation body 30.The marginal portion of the second insulation body 30 may be recessed asshown in FIG. 1

to receive the overlapping portion of the clamp member t 44 so that theclamp member protrudes only slightly beyond the face of the secondinsulation body. Additional longer screws 46 extend through both theclamp member 44 and the peripheral flange 42 of the housing shell intothe bulkhead 22 `to anchor the plug assembly P in the circular opening20 of the bulkhead.

Referring to FIG. 4, a feature of `this embodiment of the invention isthateach of the relatively short screws t 45 that connect the clampmember 44 yto the housingV ange 42 is providedrwithV a radial ange 48with the clamp member 44'counterlbored as indicated at 50 to receive theauge. As shown in FIG. 4, the radial flange f 48 may be in the form of awasher or collar with the screw upset as indicated at 52 to keep thecollar from shifting axially towards the threaded end of the screw. Eachscrew V45 slidingly extends through the clamp member 44 andfor thispurpose each screw 45 maybe formed with a smooth shank portion as shownin FIG. 4-V or, instead, kkthe bore`54 in the housing flange 42 may .beoversized to avoid engagement with the thread of the screw. Theadvantage of thisv construction Aof the four short screws 45 is `thatwhen the screws are loosened the radial flanges 48 exertseparationrforce between the cla-mp member and the housing shell. Y

If a sealed construction for the multi-contact connector is desired, acontinuous sealing member 55 imay be seated in a peripheral recess ofthe second insulation body 30 in sealing contact with the insulationbody and both the clamp member 44 and the inner surface of the housingshell 26. A `second continuous sealing member 56 may be mounted in acontinuous groove inthe rear face of the housing ange 42 to provide Aaseal between the housing ange and the bulkhead 22. A

third continuous sealing member 58 may be seated in ak continuous groovein the outer face of the clamp member 44 to forma seal between the plugassembly P andv the receptacle assembly R. These three continuous seal-`ing members 55, 56 and 58 may be omitted if a sealed construction is notrequired in a particular insulation.

In-FIG. l, the pin contacts 25 are of the construction shownin FIG. 8.For connection to a corresponding wire, each pin contact 25 has `anaxial bore 60 at its base end with a portion of the side wall of thebore cut away as indicated to form what is commonly termed a solder pot61, to facilitate the soldering of the wire to the contact.

For mounting the plurality of pin contacts 25, ythe lirst insulationbody 28 is formed with a plurality of bores 62 and the second insulationbody 3() is formed wit-h a corresponding plurality of bores 64, thebores of the two pluraiities registering with each other to form pairsof aligned bores. Itis contemplated that the -bores of at least one ofthese two pluralities of 'bores 62 and 64 will be formed withenlargements that open onto the confronting faces of the two insulationlbodies 28 and 30. In the construction shown, both of the two sets ofbores are formed with flared or conical enlargements 65. Thus theinsulation means that mounts the contacts in the plug assembly may beconsidered as having a plurality of bores corresponding to the pluralityof pin contacts 25 with4 these bores enlarged at intermediate points andwith the insulation means made in sections that may be separated foraccess to the bore enlargements.

Since the solder pots 61 are enlargements on the :base ends of the pincontacts 25 Iand since the bores 62 in the first insulation body 28 mustclear the solder pots, the bores 62 are oversized relative to theportions of the pin contacts that extend through the bores. A feature ofthis embodiment of the invention is that the bores 64 in the secondinsulation lbody 30 are also slightly oversized with the result thatthere is appreciable freedom for lateral movement of the pin contacts 25relative to the two insulation bodies in which they are mounted.

The pin contacts 25 are resiliently mounted in the pair of insulationIbodies 28 and 30 by means of elastomer collars 66, best shown in FIG.8, that embrace intermediate portions of the pin contacts and are bondedthereto by any well known means, as by a suitable ladhesive, to formresilient enlargements on the pin contacts. Preferably each pin contact25 is formed with a circumferential bead or rib 68 which is encased bythe elastomer collars 66, the rib presenting oppositely directedshoulders to strengthen the bond between the collar and the pin contact.The elastomer collars 66 are of a configura-tion to seat in the aredenlarge-ments of the aligned bores 62 and 64. In the construction shown,the bores are conically ared and therefore each rof the elastomercollars 66 has the general configuration of two cones positioned back toback, a configuration which maybe aptly termed a double wedge. Theelastomer collars 66 are dimensioned somewhat oversized relative to thepairs of bore enlargements 65 in which they seat wit-h the result thatthe elastomer collars are substantially compressed by tightening of thefour screws 45 `and thus serve as seals for the pairs of aligned bores62 and 64, the seals functioning with wedging action.

The elastomer collars 66 center the pin contacts 25 in the alignedoversized bores in a resilient manner that permits appreciable variationin the alignment of the pin contacts. In elect the pin contacts arefloatingly mounted as distinguished from xedly or rigidly mounting.

As may be seen in FIG. 3, there is a total of nine pairs of alignedbores 62-64 in this embodiment of the invention and therefore the plugassembly may be fabricated with any selected number of pin contacts upto a total of nine. In this example there are eight pin contacts 25,there being no contact in the bore 62a (FIG. 3).

If a sealed construction yis desired, a suitable elastomer sealing lbodyis mounted in each pair of aligned bores 62- 64 that does not house apin contact. Thus the bore 62a of the first insulation body 28 and thecorresponding bore 64 of the second insulation body 30 may be sealed byan elastomer sealing member 70 of the character shown in section in FIG.l2. The elastomer sealing ymember 70 is of substantial-ly the sameconfiguration in profile and the same dimensions in profile as anelastomer collar 66 on a pin Contact 25. Consequently the tightening ofthe screws 45 also places the elastomer sealing member 7G under sealingcompression.

It is apparent that all paths of possible leakage are sealed olf to-make the plug assembly duid-tight. The elastomer collars 66 and theelastomer sealing member 'lil seal all of the aligned bores through thetwo insulation Ibodies 28 and 30; the continuous sealing member S5blocks leakage around the periphery of the insulation bodies inside thehousing shell 26; and the continuous sealing member 56 blocks leakagearound the outside of the lhousing shell between the lhousing shell andthe rim of the opening in the bulkhead 22. In addition, the continuoussealing lmember 58 prevents leakage at the juncture of the plug assemblyP and the receptacle assembly R.

The receptacle assembly R may be of the same general construction as theplug assembly P with suitable provision for fluid-tight connection withthe cable 24. In the construction shown, the housing shell 34 is ofbox-like configuration with a continuous side wall 72 and a back wall74, the side wall being olset to form a forwardly facing shoulder 75 forabutment by the first insulation body 35. The housing shell 34 isfurther formed in the previously described manner with a relativelythick peripheral flange 76 and a rectangular clamp member 78 overlapsfboth the -ange and the -margin of the second insulation body 36. Hereagain a continuous sealing member 80 may make sealing contact with theperimeter of the second sealing body 36 as well as 'with the clampmember 78 and the inner surface of the side wal172 of the housing shell.

Four short screws 82 (FIG. 2) extend through the housing flange 76 intothe clamp member 78 to tighten the t-wo insulation bodies 35 and 36against each other and two longer screws 84 extend through both thehousing flange 76 and the clamp member 78 into the clamp member 44 ofthe plug assembly P to lock the two assemblies R and P together. Theshort screws 82 may be of the same construction as the previouslydescribed short screws 45 to function in the same manner to createseparation force between the clamp member 78 and the housing lian-ge 76.

The stocket contacts 32 are mounted in the two insulation bodies 35 and36 in the same manner as heretofore described. Thus the iirst insulationbody 35 has a plurality of slightly oversized bores 85, the insulationbody 36 lhas a corresponding plurality of slightly oversized bores 86and both sets of the aligned bores have ared enlargements 88 that openonto the confronting faces of the two insulation bodies. In thepreviously described manner each of the socket contacts 3-2 has anelastomer collar 90 that is dimensioned to seat under compression in thebore enlargements.

Preferably, each of the socket contacts 32 is of the construction shownin FIG. 6. The base end of each socket contact 32 is formed with asolder pot 61 but may be adapted in other ways for connection to a wire.The shank of the socket contact is formed with a previously describedcircumferential rib 68 for increasing the effectiveness of the bond withthe elastomer collar 90.

The leading end of a socket contact 32 has an axial bore 92 to serve asa socket for the cooperating pin contact 25. A substantial portion ofthe wall of the bore is cut away to form a longitudinal slot 94 thatterminates short of the leading end of the socket contact to leave asolid ring portion 95 at the leading end of the socket contact toreceive the leading end of the corresponding pin contact v 25. A springclip, generally designated 96 has a cylindrical base portion 98 whichfxedly embraces the shank of the socket contact 32 and this spring cliphas a forwardly extending spring finger 100 which extends along thelength of the longitudinal slot 94.

As may be seen in FIG. 8, the corresponding pin contact 25 lhas arounded nose -102 and the ring portion 95 at the leading end of thesocket contact 32 is tapered or chamfered as indicated at 104 tofacilitate entry of the rounded nose. The leading end of the springfinger ,160 is curved outward as indicated at 105 and lies in the pathof entry of the rounded nose to be cammed radially outward by entry ofthe pin contact 25. Thus when the pin contact 25 is inserted into thesocket contact 32, the spring finger 100 insures a friction lit foreffective electrical connection. The ring portion 95 of the socketcontact serves as a Iguard for the leading end of the spring :finger 100to insure that the spring finger will not be encountered endwise by thepin contact.

To provide choice in the matter of the direction of entry of themulti-conductor cable 24 into the housing shell 34, the housing shell isprovided with four knockouts 106 on its four opposite sides and a fthknockout in its back wall 74. In FIG. 1, the knockout in the back wall74 has been removed to provide a circular opening for admission of thecable 24. As shown in FIG. 1 a irst inner ferrule 108 embraces the cable24 and is formed with a radial flange 1510 at its inner end which abutsthe inner surface of the back wall 74 of the housing shell. A secondouter 7 ferrule 112 that is entirely outside of the housing shell 34 istelescoped over the inner ferrule 108 Aand is provided with a secondradial flange 114 that abuts a sealing ring 115.

The procedure of assembling the two ferrules 108 and 112 and the sealingrin-g 115 consists in placing the ferrules in the relative positionsshown in FIG. 1 and then applying axial force to the two ferrules inopposite directions to drive the ferrule flanges 112 and 114 towardseach other to place the sealing ring 115 under sealing compression.While the sealing ring 115 is held under compression in this manner, acrimping tool is applied to crimp the two ferrules as indicated at 116in FIG. l, the outer ferrule 112 being crimped against the inner ferrule-108 and the inner ferrule being crimped against the cable 24.

The crimping operation has two important results in that it not onlyfixedly interconnects the two ferrules to maintain the sealing ring 115permanently under compression, but also causes the inner ferrule to gripthe cable 2'4 permanently. In this manner the cable 24 is connected tothe housing shell 34 to prevent any tension load on the cable from beingtransmitted to the individual wires of the cable inside the housingshell34.

The .final step in sealing the entry of the cable 24 into the housingshell 34 is the application of a plastic sleeve 11-8 to embrace both theouter ferrule 112 and the adjacent portion of the cable 24 as shown inFIG. 1. After the plastic sleeve 118 is mounted in this manner, thesleeve is shrunk to make a `duid-tight fit. In the construction shown,the outer ferrule 112 is swaged to Aform a circumferential rib 120 forincreasing the eiectiveness of the seal.

A suitable plastic may be employed that may be shrunk by the applicationof heat. A sleeve of irradiated polyethylene is highly satisfactory forthis purpose.

The key or polarizing arrangement will now be described, whicharrangement insu-res that a receptacle assembly R can be connected onlyto the correct plug assembly P. When the two assemblies areinterconnected as shown in FIG. l, the two clamp members 44 and 78 arein face to face abutment and these two clamp members may be consideredas forming two opposite side llanges on the plug assembly P and thereceptacle assembly R respectively. As may be seen in FIG. 2, the clampmember 78 has two rows of keying bores 122 on each of its oppositesides, there being four bores in each row.V In like manner, as indicatedin FIGS. 3

` and 5,V the clamp member 44 of the plug connector P has acorresponding pattern of key bores 124 arranged in two rows of foureach, the key bores extending through the contiguous peripheral housingflange 42.

It is contemplated that eight key pins 125 will be divided between thekey bores 122 in the Ireceptacle assembly and the key bores 124 in the-plug assembly, the various key pins being mounted for example bystaking. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, seven key Vpins125 (FIG. 2) are mounted in seven of the eight key bores 122 with onekey bore 122 empty and an eighth key pin 125 (FIGS. 3 and 5) is mountedin the particular key bore 124 of the plug assembly that registers withthe key bore 122a. This arrangement of a series of eight key pins and aseries of eightkey sockets with each of the two series divided betweenthe plug assembly P and the receptacle assembly R permits 256permutations. With reference to the keying feature it is also to benoted that the pattern of the nine aligned bores for mounting the -pincontacts 25 and the similar pattern of nine bores for mounting thesocket contacts 32 has a keying function since only one relativeorientation permits the two patterns to match.

The manner in which the invention serves its purpose may be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description. It is apparent that each ofthe two described connector assemblies may be fabricated with anydesired number of contact elements up to a maximum number of nine andthat the invention is not limited to this particular maximum. It is alsoapparent that various types S of contact elements may be usedinterchangeably. For example, relatively thin pin contacts may besubstituted for any or all of the relatively heavy pin contacts 25. FIG.9 shows such a thin pin contact 26 which is ofthe same generalconstruction as the pin contact 25 and is t the character describedfabricated to meet certain requirements, may be dismantled andreassembled for reuse in a new installation having differentrequirements. The separation force exerted by the screws 45 of the plugassembly and the screws 82 of the receptacle assembly facilitate thedismantling of an assembly for such a coni version.

My description in specific detail of the selected embodiment of theinvention will suggest various changes, substitutions and otherdepartures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a multi-contact connector assembly for mating with a similarcomplementary multi-contact connector device, the combination of:

a plurality of contact elements each extending in a rst direction;

individual elastomer collars having insulating properties and embracingthe individual contact elements and bonded to the elements to form onthe elements elastomer enlargements extending in a second directiontransverse to the first direction;

a housing shell; and

insulating means mounting thefplurality of contact elements and theelastomer collars in the housing shell, said insulating means having aplurality of bores housing the corresponding .contact elements, saidbores being oversized relative to the contact elements, said bores beingformed with enlargementsfat intermediate points thereof to seat andretain said elastomer enlargements of the corresponding contact elementswith the elastomer enlargements having dimensions greater than theenlargements in the bores and resiliently retaining and iloatinglysupporting the contact elements with freedom for lateral shift of thecontactA 2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the portion ofeach contact element on which an elastomer collar is mounted is formedwith oppositely directed shoulders extending in the second directionfrom the contact elements for interlocking engagement with the elastomercollar to strengthen the bond between the Contact` elements and thecollar.Y

3. In a multi-contact connector assembly for mating with a similarcomplementary multi-contact connector device having a plurality ofcontact elements, the combination of:

- a housing shell having an open front side, said housingY shell havinga continuous side wall formed with an inner forwardly facing shoulderspaced yrearward from said front side; a rst insulation block nestedlaterally in said housing shell against said shoulder; a secondinsulation block nested laterally inside said housing shell inface-to-face contact with said first insulation block;

a plurality of spaced bores extending forwardly in said first insulationblock;

a corresponding plurality of spaced bores in said second insulationblock registering with the bores in the first insulation block to formaligned pairs of forwardly extending bores,

the bores of at least one of said pluralities being formed withenlargements at positions corresponding to the confronting faces of thetwo blocks;

contact elements mounted in at least some of said pairs of aligned boresfor cooperation with the corresponding contact elements of saidcomplementary device, the contact elements being provided withoppositely directed lateral shoulders;

elastomer collars embracing said contact elements Yrespectively bondedto the elements and seated in the enlargements of the aligned bores andseated on the oppositely directed shoulders of the contact elements,said collars being oversized relative to the enlargements of the bores;

a clamp member engaging said second insulation block at the marginalextremities of the second insulation block; and

fastening means engaging said clamp member and said housing shell andclamping said two insulation blocks together with consequent sealingcompression of said sealing collars in the enlargements in the bores.

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which the contact elementsare in only some of said aligned bores; and

which includes solid sealing bodies in the remaining aligned boresnested in said enlargements thereof under sealing compression.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which said clamp member hasa continuous portion overlapping the front margin of said secondinsulation block; and

in which a continuous sealing element extends along said margin undersealing compression between the second insulation block and the clampmember, said sealing element abutting said continuous side wall of thehousing shell.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which said enlargements ofthe bores are conically flared enlargements and said elastomer collarsare of corresponding configuration dimensioned for compression by thebore enlargements and in which the oppositely directed lateral shouldersof the contact elements are conical enlargements.

7. In a multi-contact connector assembly for mating with a similarcomplementary multi-contact connector device, the combination of:

a housing shell having an open front side, said housing shell having acontinuous side wall formed with an inner forwardly facing shoulderspaced rearward from said front side;

a first insulation block nested laterally in said housing shell againstsaid shoulder;

a second insulation block nested laterally inside said housing shell inface-to-face contact with said first insulation block;

a plurality of spaced, forwardly extending bores in said firstinsulation block;

a corresponding plurality of spaced, forwardly extending bores in saidsecond insulation block the bores in said second block registering withthe bores in the rst insulation block to form aligned pairs of bores,

all of the bores in the two blocks being formed with enlargements thatopen onto the confronting faces of the two blocks;

elastomer elements mounted in said enlargements of the bores, saidelastomer elements being oversized relative to the enlargements of thebores to seal the bores;

contact elements mounted in at least some of said pairs of aligned boresfor cooperation with corresponding contact elements of saidcomplementary device, said contact elements being embraced by thecorresponding elastomer elements and bonded thereto, said contactelements being provided with oppositely directed lateral shoulders forinterlocking engagement with the elastomer element;

a clamp member engaging opposite marginal portions of said secondinsulation block; and

fastening means engaging said clamp member and said housing shell andclamping said two insulation blocks together with consequent compressionof said elastomer elements.

8. In a multi-contact connector assembly for mating with a similarcomplementary multi-contact connector de-V vice, having a plurality ofcontact elements, the combination of:

a housing shell having an open front side, said housing shell having acontinuous side wall formed with an inner forwardly facing shoulderspaced rearward from its front side;

a first insulation block nested in said housing shell against saidshoulder;

a second insulation block nested inside said housing shell inface-to-face contact with said first insulation block;

a plurality of forwardly extending spaced bores in said first insulationblock;

the bores in the rst and second blocks being enlarged at the faces ofthe first and second insulation blocks;

a corresponding plurality of forwardly extending spaced bores in saidsecond insulation block, the bores in the second block registering withthe bores in the first insulation block to form aligned pairs of bores;

contact elements mounted in said pairs of aligned bores for coooperationwith the corresponding contact elements of said complementary device,the contact ele'- p ments having oppositely directed lateral shoulders;

elastomer sealing means embracing, and bonded to said oppositelydirected lateral shoulder of said contact elements at the confrontingfaces of the two insulation blocks and disposed in the enlargements inthe bores at the faces of the first and second insulation blocks, saidelastomer elements being oversized relative to the enlargements in thebores at the faces of the rst and second insulation blocks;

continuous sealing means abutting the inner surface of said continuousside wall of the housing shell and a continuous margin of at least oneof said two insulation blocks; and

means engaging said second insulation block and said housing shell tohold the housing shell and the insulation block assembled together andto place all of said sealing means under sealing compression to cut offall leakage paths from the open front side of said housing shell to therear face of the rst insulation block.

9. A combination as set forth in claim 8 which includes a continuousperipheral sealing means on the front side of said assembly for sealingcompression between the assembly and said complementary connectordevice.

10. In a multi-contact connector assembly for mating with a similarcomplementary multi-contact connector device, the combination of:

a housing shell having an open front side and a convtinous peripheralflange and a continuous side wall formed with an inner forwardly facingshoulder spaced rearward from the front side of the housing shell;

a first insulating block nested in said housing shell against saidshoulder;

a second insulating block nested inside said housing the firstinsulation block to form aligned pairs ofY bores;

the bores of at least one of said pluralities of bores being formed withenlargements that open onto the confronting faces of the two insulationblocks;

elastomer sealing bodies in said enlargements respectively of the bores,said elastomer sealing bodies being oversized relative to theenlargements to seal the bores;

contact elements mounted in at least some of said pairs of aligned boresfor cooperation with corresponding contact elements of saidcomplementary device, said contact elements being provided withoppositely directed lateral walls embraced by, and bonded to thecorresponding elastomer sealing bodies;

a clamping frame conforming to the configuration of said flange andoverlapping the peripheral margin of said second block; and

fastening means engaging said clamp member and said housing shell andclamping said two insulation blocks together with consequent sealingcompression of said elastomer sealing bodies at the enlargements of thealigned bores.

11. A combination as set forth in claim in which said fastening meanscomprises a plurality of screws eX- tending through said flange and saidclamping frame, said screws being in screw-threaded engagement with onlyone of said flange and said clamping frame, said screws having collarsto engage the other of said flange and said clamping frame to createseparation force between the flange and the clamping frame in responseto unscrewing of the screw.

12. A multi-contact connector assembly for mounting in an opening in abulkhead with a rim in a fluid-tight manner for mating with a similarmulti-contact device comprising:

a housing shell having an open front side and having a continuousperipheral flange to overlie the rim of the bulkhead opening, saidhousingy shell having a continuous side wall formed with an innerforwardly facing shoulder spaced rearward from the front side of thehousing shell;

a first insulating block nested in said housing shell against said innershoulder;

a second insulating block nested inside said housing shell inface-to-face contact with said first insulation block;

a plurality of spaced forwardly extending bores in said first insulationblock;

a corresponding plurality of spaced forwardly extending bores in saidsecond insulation block, the bores in said second insulation blockregistering with the bores in the first insulation block to form alignedpairs of bores;

elastomer sealing means embracing, and bonded to,

said oppositely directed lateral shoulders in said contact elements atthe confronting faces of the two insulation blocks;

continuous sealing means abutting the inner surface of said continuousside wall of the housing shell and abutting a continuous margin of atleast one of said two insulation blocks to seal paths through thebulkhead opening along the inner surface of the housing shell;

means engaging said second insulation block and said housing shell tohold the housing shell assembled together and to place said elastomersealing means under sealing compression to seal off paths through saidbores;

a continuous sealing member on the back side of said flange at thehousing shell for contact with the bulk- 12 head around the rim of thebulkhead opening; and means to anchor said flange of the housing shellto the bulkhead and thereby compress said continuous sealing member toseal paths through the bulkhead Vopening around the outer surface of thehousing shell. 13. A combination as set forth in claim12 in which saidengaging means includes a continuous clamp member overlapping saidflange of the housing shell and contacting with said clamp member andsaid com` plementary device to seal the juncture between themulti-contact assembly and the multi-contact device. 14. In combinationfor mounting in an opening in a lin the opening in the wall; a secondmulti-contact connector assembly joining with said first connectorassembly, each of said two assemblies having a housing shell with anopen front` side and with a continuous peripheral flange around thehousing shell, eachy housing shell having a con-` tinuous side wallformed with an inner forwardly facing shoulder spaced rearward from thefront side of the housing shell, the peripheral flange of the firstassembly being dimensioned to overlap the rim of said wall opening, eachof said assemblies having a first insulating block nested in its housingshell against said inner shoulder thereof and a second insulatingblocknested in its housing shell `in face-toface contact with the firstinsulation block, each 'of said blocks having a plurality of forwardlyextend-Y ing bores therethrough .with the bores of the two blocksregistered with each other to form pairs of aligned bores, Y

the bores of at least oneV of said first and second insulating blocks ineachl assembly having enlargements that open onto the confronting tfacesof the two blocks in each assembly;

contact elements mounted in the pairs of bores of the insulation blocksofthe first assembly and having oppositely directed lateral shouldersdisposed at theY positions of the enlargements in the bores;

complementary contact elements mounted in the pairs of bores of theinsulationblocks of the second assembly and having oppositely directedlateral shoulders disposed at the positions of the enlargements in thebores;

elastomer sealing collars embracing, and bonded to, `the i individualcontact elements of each of said assemblies at the positions of theoppositely directed lateral shoulders and seating in said enlargementsof the bores of the assembly and being oversize relative to theenlargements in thel bores, each of said assemblies having a continuousclamping member overlapping the flange of the housing shell of theassembly, each of said assemblies having fastening means interconnectingits clamping member and the peripheral flange of its housing shell toclamp its ltwo insulation blocks together for sealing compression ofsaid elastomer collars, each of said assemt blies having continuoussealing means around at least one of its two insulation blocks; Y

fastering means to hold the two assemblies together;

continuous sealing means sealing the juncture between the twoassemblies.

15. The combination as set forth in claim 14 and including continuoussealing means to seal the juncture between the peripheral flange of thefirst assembly and the rim of said wall opening.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Halvorson 339-103 Seils 339-226 Borchert 339-63 Shrunk339-185 Unger 336-90 Streb 339-185 Doane 339-94 11/1953 Gilbert 339-1762/ 1954 Klostermann 339-196 4/ 1954 Stevens 339-60 10/ 1956 Schwennesenet al. 174-18 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1947 Great Britain.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED S. TRASK, Examiner.

1. IN A MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR MATING WITH A SIMILARCOMPLEMENTARY MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR DEVICE, THE COMBINATION OF: APLURALITY OF CONTACT ELEMENTS EACH EXTENDING IN A FIRST DIRECTION;INDIVIDUAL ELASTOMER COLLARS HAVING INSULATING PROPERTIES AND EMBRACINGTHE INDIVIDUAL CONTACT ELEMENTS AND BONDED TO THE ELEMENTS TO FORM ONTHE ELEMENTS ELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS EXTENDING IN A SECOND DIRECTIONTRANSVERSE TO THE FIRST DIRECTION; A HOUSING SHELL; AND INSULATING MEANSMOUNTING THE PLURALITY OF CONTACT ELEMENTS AND THE ELASTOMER COLLARS INTHE HOUSING SHELL, SAID INSULATING MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF BORESHOUSING THE CORRESPONDING CONTACT ELEMENTS, SAID BORES BEING OVERSIZEDRELATIVE TO THE CONTACT ELEMENTS, SAID BORES BEING FORMED WITHENLARGEMENTS AT INTERMEDIATE POINTS THEREOF TO SEAT AND RETAIN SAIDELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS OF THE CORRESPONDING CONTACT ELEMENTS WITH THEELASTOMER ENLARGMENTS HAVING DIMENSIONS GREATER THAN THE ENLARGEMENTS INTHE BORES AND RESILIENTLY RETAINING AND FLOATINGLY SUPPORTING THECONTACT ELEMENTS WITH FREEDOM FOR LATERAL SHIFT OF THE CONTACT ELEMENTSWITHIN THE RANGE PERMITTED BY THE OVERSIZED BORES, SAID INSULATING MEANSBEING MADE IN RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTED SECTIONS IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACTFOR SEPARATION AT THE POSITIONS OF THE ENLARGEMENTS IN THE BORES TO MAKESAID ENLARGEMENTS OF THE BORES ACCESSIBLE FOR THE MOUNTING OF THECONTACT ELEMENTS WITH THE ELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS THEREIN.